Improvement in clamps



D. ROCKWELL &N. DOTY Clamps.

Patented Jan. I, 1878.-

rlilVENTOR "d WITN ES ES mqbwilt N. PETERS, PHOTO-L THQGRAPHER.WASHINGTON D C ma ia- T ES PATENT IQH DEWITT, ROCKWELL Ann NATHAN'DOTY,0F ooLuMBUs, onion iMPRovE'MENT- IN CLAMPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 198,754, dated January1, 1878; application filed June 20, 1877. Y

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Dnwrr'r ROCKWELL and N ATHANDOTY, of Columbus, inthe county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Clamp for use in Replacing Oars upon the Trackand we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

Our invention relates to an improved clamp for use in the variouslocalities where adjustable clamps are employed, but designed moreespecially for use upon railroads in replacing cars upon the track thathave been thrown off.

The invention consists in two hook-bars, one of them provided with aratchet and passed through an inclined slot in the other, the perforatedone being provided with a projection in the nature of a pawl, which willset into the ratchets and hold the jaws in any desired relativeposition, substantially as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view of one of our clamps, as applied inthe .operation of replacing upon the rails a car which has been throwntherefrom. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section of one of ourimproved clamps.

A is a bar, provided with any suitable hook or jaw, A This bar has adiagonal slot, A extendingthrough it for the passage of the ratchet-barB. It also has a projection, A", which serves the purpose of a pawl toset into the ratchets on the bar 13. B is the other bar, and is providedat its end with any suitable hook or jaw, B. The bar B is passed throughthe inclined slot A ,-and is provided with ratchets 13 along one of itsedges, in such position as to engage with the projection A on theslotted bar A.

It will be observed that both bars being straight, or substantiallystraight, an angle is formed between the two at G. This is a desirablefeature, inasmuch as it allows for projecting parts of the structurebeing clamped between the two jaws A B. It is apparent V that any strainthrown upon the jaws A B in opposite directions will only add to theimpossibility of their sliding apart, because the greater the strain isthe more firmly are they held together. -Moreover, the peculiar relationof the bars at the angle 0 gives the clamp increased strength at thatpoint where the strain i s greatest, because the material at this pointis greatly increased. I

The device is very simple, and the jaws can be set to any desireddistance apart by simply drawing the bar B through the bar A. So, also,it can be used either with the hook of the slotted bar uppermost, orwith the hook of the sliding bar uppermost, as may be most convenient.

This device is especially applicable where one device is to be suspendedfrom another, as, for' instance, in the manner shown in the drawing,wherein the car-trucklis suspended to the body of the car.

The operation of the device is very simple, and in its application as anappliance for use in the replacing of cars upon railway-tracks, issubstantially as follows:

D is a car wheel assumed to havezbeen run off the track. E is its truck.The usual course is to jack up the car until it is free from its truck.Then jack up the truck, and put it upon the track. Then set the body ofthe car over upon its truck. It isa long and tedious operation,especially-as the truck is generally twisted around out of position.

With our device we proceed as follows: The car and truck are firstclamped together. By our clamp the bars A and B are slid upon each otheruntil one jaw rests firmly beneath a portion of the truck and the otherrestsfirmly against or in a portion of the car-body. The car is thenjacked up, as before, but in rising the clamp lifts the truck also. Assoon as the truck is free from the ground, the position of the jaws ofthe clamp having been properly located, the truck will swing around toits proper position, and the two are then shifted together upon thetrack. When in position the clamp is removed.

This device is equally well adapted in other localities where a readyclamp is required, as, for instance, by molders in fastening the copeand drag of a flask together; also, for clamping timbers together, andfor various other purposes to whi applied.

ch an ordinary clamp may be p What we claim is -1 An adjustable clamp,consisting in the combination with a bar formed with the'diagonal slotand toothed projection, of a bar engaging therewith, and provided withthe rack edge,- each of the said bars having straight bodies and ahooked extremity, substantially as described.

2. The adjustable clamp, consisting of the straight slotted hook-bar Aand the straight ratchet hook-bar B, the said bar B constructed to slidethrough an inclined slot in the bar A,

and forming-with each other an'angle, 0, substantially as and for thepurposes described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DEWITT ROCKWELL.

- NATHAN DOTY.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS TOUMEY, W. E. DONNELLY.

